In brief: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to attack several US tech companies in the Middle East if Iran continues to be targeted by America and Israel. The IRGC said attacks could begin today and has advised employees and residents living near the facilities to evacuate the area.
Days after Iran warned that offices and infrastructure belonging to US companies involved in military technology in the Middle East would be targeted, the IRGC updated its threat on Telegram.
The 18 companies the IRGC threatened, accusing them of actively participating in terrorist plots, include Nvidia, Intel, HP, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, Cisco, Oracle, IBM, Dell, Palantir, Tesla, and Boeing.
– RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 31, 2026
"Since the main element in designing and tracking terror targets are American ICT and AI companies, in response to this terrorist operation, from now on the main institutions effective in terrorist operations will be our legitimate targets," the IRGC message reads.
The IRGC also warned employees of the named companies to leave their workplaces immediately to save their lives, while anyone within a one-kilometer radius of the facilities should go to a safe place. The attacks could begin today (April 1) at 8pm Tehran time, according to reports.
Several of the names called out by the IRGC have major operations in the Middle East, especially in Israel and the Gulf. Intel's Israel operation alone employed about 11,000 people across four locations as of 2024. Microsoft has said it has nearly 3,000 employees in Israel, with offices in Herzliya, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Nazareth, while Google has more than 2,000 staff in its Tel Aviv and Haifa offices.
Nvidia's footprint is also substantial: Reuters reported in January that the company had around 5,000 employees in Israel, and Nvidia's own office directory lists multiple sites in Israel as well as Dubai.
Apple continues to recruit in Israel, Meta lists a Tel Aviv office, IBM Research says it operates labs in Haifa, Givatayim, and Be'er Sheva, and Cisco not only has an office in Netanya but also lists offices across the Middle East. Local Israeli media said Cisco employed roughly 800 people in Israel late last year.
The IRGC's mention of the role that AI is playing in the war is an accurate one. When the bombings against Iran first began, it was reported that Anthropic's Claude AI model was used in early operations, including intelligence analysis and scenario planning tied to targeting.
One expert said that AI making recommendations for what to target is much quicker in some ways than "the speed of thought."